James A. Wiggs was born around 1837 in Mississippi to Piety Wiggs. His father probably died sometime before 1850. He lived in Marshall County, Mississippi, until the 1850s, when he moved to Memphis, Tennessee. By 1860, he owned $150 of personal property.

 

He received a commission as captain of Company D of the 1^st Tennessee Heavy Artillery. In June 1862, Confederate officials consolidated the regiment’s companies, and he was “not assigned to duty.” By the spring of 1863, he was serving as an acting inspector of artillery on General Francis A. Shoup’s staff. He surrendered as part of the Vicksburg garrison on July 4, 1863, and he received a parole the following day. He was eventually exchanged, and he returned to duty. He surrendered as part of General Richard Taylor’s command on May 4, 1865.

 

He returned to Memphis after the war. He married Lucy Church on August 15, 1863, and they had at least two children: James, born around 1864; and Laura, born around 1866. He worked as a saw miller, and by 1870, he owned $1,000 of real estate and $2,000 of personal property. His wife died around 1875. By 1880, he was working as a merchant.

 

He moved to Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, in the late 1800s, and he married Mary Outlaw on April 11, 1884. He died in Starkville, Mississippi, on January 27, 1911.

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